WEEKLY MAH-JONGG

By Tom Sloper

November 12, 2006
Column #292

American Mah-Jongg (2006 NMJL card).
This week's column is in response to a question posted on the rec.games.mahjong newsgroup: "where can I get a complete list of instant-death exposures?" This may not be a complete list. If any of these are not clear to you, see explanation in italics.

1. There are only two hands on the 2006 card that include dragon pungs: one in Like Numbers and one in Consec. Runs. Both hands are supposed to be concealed. Exposing a dragon pung is instant death.

2. A 2006 is not a kong. It's a pair and two singles. Unless you are declaring mah-jongg, you may never expose anything except a pung, kong, quint, or sextet.

3. The only winds that can be used in quints on the 2006 card are N and S.

4. There is no hand on the 2006 card in which a quint of flowers is used.

5. Two problems here. One: as with #2 above, a NEWS is not a kong. Two: it is never permitted to use a joker in place of a single tile.

6. There is no hand on the 2006 card in which a pung of flowers is used.

7. There are only three hands on the 2006 card that use wind pungs: 2006 #1, W-D #1, and W-D #2. Of those three, only one uses pungs of S or N: 2006 #1. Hand must be concealed until mah-jongg is declared.

8. Player is making Quints #3. This exposure is two singles and a pair. See #2 and #5 above.

9. Player is making a Lucky 13 hand. But it's never permitted to expose two singles, except for mah-jongg.